Tributes: Jane was a diamond from every angle

No one had anything but tender and complimentary things to say about her throughout this year-long case.

Loving, kind, talented and devoted were tributes repeated over again.

Jane could be impatient, emotional, tearfully stressed and she sometimes rowed with her partner.

But it was her decent, caring nature that shone through.

More than 300 people filled Brighton's parish church of St Peter's last June to testify to the truth.

Jane's wicker coffin, decorated with lilies, was followed into the church by her mother Liz Longhurst, arm-in-arm with Jane's partner, Malcolm Sentance, her sister, Sue Barnett, close behind.

They were in a state of disbelief that a life that had given so much and promised so much more should be snatched away and in such a vile manner.

Jane was happy and bubbly, a brilliant musician and a respected and loved teacher.

Suddenly, she had gone.

No longer would her hands grace the beloved instruments that gave her and audiences so much pleasure, hands that would never hold those of the man she longed to marry or brush the cheeks of children she yearned to have.

A life stolen by the hands of a debased man.

All those in church that day stood in silence to recall their own special moments with Jane.

Passionate, enthusiastic and fun, she would enjoy "trumpet and gin" evenings and Jane, a brilliant viola player, would manage a few notes - after a glass or two of gin.

Born in Reading, she was a beautiful baby and was often admired.

Her mother, 40 said: "She was sweet-natured and awfully pretty. She smiled a lot and was always happy. Jane seemed so content with life and she would often come up and cuddle me.

"I remember a woman, a stranger, looking at Jane saying 'That's the most beautiful baby I have ever seen'. I felt so proud."

Through her teens, Jane's love of music, her dedicated approach to her studies and respect for her parents focused her mind.

She was not one to suddenly disappear with friends or come home in the early hours without warning her parents beforehand.

Educated in Reading, she co-led the Reading Youth Orchestra before leaving for Liverpool University and the Guildhall School of Music in London.

Jane met her first serious boyfriend, Michael Downes, on a music course in the summer of 1993 and within a year she had moved to Brighton to live with him. They stayed together until early 1996.

He described Jane as talented, kind, considerate and very supportive of her family.

It was at the Guildhall School that she became the girlfriend of fellow student Lincoln Abbott, now a music specialist with BBC orchestras.

They were together for two years until late 1997. After graduating Jane took her first teaching job at a school in Cambridge where their relationship continued.

Mr Abbott, 33, said they enjoyed a loving and "very special" relationship but it ended when Jane moved on to Oakmeads Community College, Burgess Hill.

It was there she met fellow teacher Lisa Stephens and eventually her partner, Graham Coutts.

Jane and Ms Stephens stayed friends when Jane moved to Brighton to become a special needs teacher at Uplands School for children with learning difficulties in Hollingdean, Brighton.

It was a job she loved and one that won her the admiration of colleagues and students.

Her father, Bill, died from Alzheimer's disease in 2000, a year after she had begun a relationship with fellow musician Malcolm Sentance.

Their mutual love of music brought them together and both played the viola with the Musicians of All Saints in Lewes. Jane also became active with the Brighton Youth Orchestra.

Jane and Malcolm lived together for four years and were discussing moving from their flat in Shaftesbury Road, Brighton, to Bath and travelling through Europe.

They had arguments and stresses at work like most people but they were enjoying life together on March 14 last year when Jane failed to return home, never to be seen alive again.

In an instant, Malcolm's world was turned upside down.

The 35-year-old education welfare officer for West Sussex County Council was desolate.

He felt helpless and while scores of police were looking for Jane he felt he had to do something himself, to stay active and positive.

He questioned taxi firms and distributed posters around Brighton and Hove in an attempt to trace Jane.

Malcolm idolised Jane although he said it was not a romantic "lovey-dovey" relationship.

Jane would tease him about getting married and having babies but Malcolm would say the time wasn't right.

Jane's absence made him realise what she meant to him and in an interview with The Argus he publicly promised to ask her to marry him when she returned home safe.

He wept at night and hardly slept during the 35 agonising days before her body was found.

On the day police told him the grim news, Malcolm was broken and he later committed his innermost feelings on to paper.

He wrote: "I miss Jane every hour of every day and night that passes. It is heartbreaking when your life turns a corner and new experiences occur and the one person you want to share them with is not there.

"Jane will always be a very special friend to me. She was loving, warm, beautiful, a fantastic musician and teacher, a great laugh and my best mate. I would happily have spent the rest of my life with her.

"She would always say 'Malc, do you want to get married at some point?' and I would reply 'Yeah, maybe, whenever . . . '. She was always open about her feelings.

"She enjoyed the challenge of teaching children and would have loved to have had some of her own. We were going to buy a house, travel . . . we had so many plans for the future.

"For five weeks I was praying she would be found alive and we could meet again.

"I miss the great conversations and nights at the pub with friends.

"I miss walking, driving about, the pillow fights and swimming in the sea.

"I miss Jane and I being us, laughing when you're not supposed to during music concerts.

"Since the day she disappeared I have sent her all my love and this won't stop. I want her to know that we all still love her.

"I believe that wherever she is, she is definitely okay.

"I am heartbroken at the tragic loss of a brilliant friend."

Family and friends were also grief-stricken. The Musicians of All Saints dedicated a performance to their viola player.

The orchestra seats where Jane and Malcolm should have been sitting were left empty as the hushed audience prayed.

Staff, children and friends at Uplands raised £3,000 in Jane's name. The school's front gates were covered in floral tributes and messages.

Many spoke of their despair.

Sarah Bristow, 15, was taught English by Jane for three years.

She said: "I had to leave the room when the news of her murder came on the telly. I couldn't bear it.

"She was so kind and sweet. She'd never get angry or lose her temper with us. I just cried."

Sarah's mother, Christina, said: "I was so shocked. Miss Longhurst was a really nice person. She did a lot of work with my daughter and always had time for her.

"When Miss Longhurst went missing my daughter said 'Let's go looking for her' and we did."

One pupil wrote on a note outside the school: "To Miss Longhurst, the best teacher on earth. I will miss you a lot."

Uplands has since launched Jane Longhurst awards for youth performance and expressive art to ensure her memory lives on.

Headteacher Paul Atkins said he hoped Jane's name would eventually become synonymous with excellence and performance rather than tragedy. He said schools tended to move on quickly but Jane would always remain in their thoughts.

Many from Uplands were among the congregation at Jane's funeral at St Peter's Church.

Andy Sherwood, conductor of Musicians of All Saints, Lewes, said in his eulogy how he felt inadequate to properly express his admiration for Jane.

He said: "She brought to music something more than just notes."

Jane played brilliantly but was always modest. She was an infectious person who enjoyed things so much.

Mr Sherwood added: "She loved people and she loved young people. She was a genuinely fine teacher.

"I will remember Jane as a multi-faceted person, a diamond with multi-facets who sparkled from all the angles."